Clove buds

Clove is one of the best known spices in the world. The clove tree is an evergreen tree which grows up to 10-12 meters and the spice itself is the flowering bud of the tree. The green, unopened buds grow in a bunch and are harvested when bright red. When dried the buds become dark brown and are used as a spice in numerous cuisines of the world.

Cloves have a powerful fragrance with medicinal properties. Early medical practitioners considered it as a remedy for digestion and believed that it strengthened the stomach, liver and heart. The essential oil of cloves is used in dentistry due to its high eugenol contents, a compound with both culinary and antiseptic/anesthetic properties.

In Indonesia ground cloves are used along with tobacco in cigarettes. It is used in a wide range of foods both sweet and savory.